Ivi Proceedings. 



to Meteorological Sub-Committee, and £1 3s. lOd. in Soiree 

 expenses. On the other hand, there has been a saving of 

 £3 19s. 8d. in postage, and £1 9s. 7d. in printing and stationery. 

 We have, I believe, at the present time no outstanding debts, 

 and the Club is in a perfectly solvent condition : but the figures 

 I have given show that unless we can increase our revenue by 

 enlisting more new members we shall have to exercise care in 

 keeping down our expenses. 



The Special Fund consists of a capital sum of £210 lis. 8d. in 

 Consols, the interest on which is to be applied to the purchase of 

 articles and appliances foi the use of the Club. Out of it have 

 been purchased during the year new linoleum for the floor of the 

 Club-room (which has during the year been redecorated by the 

 Literary and Scientific Institution, of whom we rent it), and a 

 microscope-stand for use at the meetings of the Club. No ob- 

 jectives have as yet been provided, so that members wishing to 

 exhibit slides will for the present have to bring their own (with 

 the universal screw), but they need not bring a stand. Mr. 

 Lovett has kindly given the Club a condenser for the illumina- 

 tion of opaque objects. 



The pamphlets and periodicals which had accumulated during 

 several years have been sorted by members of the Committee, 

 and those worth preserving have been bound. 



Excursions have been held as usual during the summer 

 months. The whole-day excursions on Bank Holidays have 

 been fairly well attended, the half-day excursions on Saturday 

 afternoons less so, especially during July and August, when 

 many members are probably gone farther afield. No evening 

 rambles have been held during the past year, but perhaps the 

 experiment is worth trying again under the auspices of the 

 several Sub-Committees, if they would make the necessary 

 arrangements for visits to places of interest near at hand. 



The first excursion of the summer season was made on April 

 28th to the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, under the 

 guidance of Mr. Crowley, F.L.S. The afternoon was showery. 

 Among the creatures to which special attention was given were 

 the weird-looking tame hornbill, which takes food out of his 

 keeper's lips, and catches on the wing with unerring dexterity 

 grapes thrown into the air ; the secretary bird, a large Indian 

 bird living on snakes, which it kills with a vigorous pat of its 

 foot ; in the unavoidable absence of a cobra it was induced to 

 give a demonstration of its modus operandi on a dead sparrow 

 drawn along by a string ; the pelicans, who were photographed 

 by some of the party in a race, with wings displayed and 

 waddling gait, from their pen to the pond in which their fish had 

 been placed ; and the diving birds, who, swimming under water 



